What is a Financial Advisor Worth? A Nerd’s Eye View of an Advisor’s Value

The credentials alone may say it all about Michael Kitces and his Nerd’s Eye View on financial planning. With two master’s degrees in financial services and taxation, a CFP® mark, and five other financial certifications to his name, that’s some serious nerd power. But what’s decidedly cool about Kitces is his passion for sharing his “journey of continuous education” with fellow advisors as well as with investors looking for a deeper dive into the intricacies of our profession.

While Kitces refers investors to his affiliated advisor firms upon request, his primary passion is to educate the planet. (He just may take on the universe after that.) In that quest, he recently put together an excellent overview on a subject that can be difficult to quantify: What is the potential value of a financial advisor’s advice – in actual dollars?

Naturally, I have strong feelings on the subject, but no matter how well-intended, my personal take may understandably come across as self-serving. In “Crunching the Numbers on Advisor Alpha,” we shared Vanguard’s view on the matter. Today, with Kitces’ permission, we share his salient Nerd’s Eye View as well.

infographic © www.kitces.com   For larger image OPEN PDF

Curious what some of the line items mean? Let us know and we’re happy to explain.

SAGE Serendipity: This past weekend was the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. April 23rd is also believed to be his birthday. To mark the event, the BBC and The British Council taped a live performance of Richard II.  David Tennant plays Richard, though he may be better known to you as the tenth Doctor Who. Quartz.com also has an interesting article ruminating on the books that likely influenced Shakespeare.